In a time of sickness and great division, Front Country aims to heal with “The Reckoning”. The hopeful hymn was written around a year prior to the rise of COVID-19 but eerily strikes a chord in its potent lyricism: “Maybe the sickness is a gift, so we can take the medicine.” In a spin akin to Brandi Carlile’s recent efforts, Front Country is forward-driving Americana that actively works to bend its molding, but never so hard that it breaks. In a similar sense, their “Reckoning” directly mentions sickness at its crux. Still, the message can also be taken more ambiguously to apply to any number of social and political issues plaguing the country and world.
The trio tell PopMatters, “The current political moment has been defined by conflict and polarization but also genuine shifts in collective consciousness and commitment to do better. I have personally done more work in the past few years than at any time in my life in unpacking my own complicity in systems of oppression, and I have seen the same work from others, which feels like the one good thing to come out of all of this.”
Front Country is Melody Walker, Adam Roszkiewicz and Jacob Groopman. The three appear front-and-center in a stunning new visualization for “The Reckoning” that casts them as animated line art, created by Walker with rotoscope by Vitra Larastiana. The song is available to listen to everywhere now. The band are currently creating their third record.